Stoick the Vast
Stoick the Vast is Hiccup's father and chief of the Hairy Hooligan Tribe on Berk. Stoick is known for his short temper and once-furiosity to protect his tribe from the invading dragons. Physical Appearence Stoick is known by his large appearence, full of muscle and the picturesque Viking. He has long, wild red hair that is accompanied by a wild and braided beard, pale skin, and light green eyes. He is tall at nearly 7 feet and towers over many of the other vikings in the tribe. He can be seen in dark green tunic, chainmail armor, a brown fur cape, and leather boots. Additionally, he has a small helmet with large horns that is one half of a pair - the other belonging to Hiccup. According to the film, these helmets were fashioned from his wife's (Vallhalarama) breastplate. Five-years later, Stoick appears relatively the same, though his beard is much lighter in color with bits of white, and wrinkles on his face are more defined to show his age. His clothes shifting to a brown and dark-red color scheme in comparison to the green of his original wardrobe. Personality Stoick is shown as a wise and capable leader who's main priority is protecting his people and keeping the peace on Berk. Though his stubbornness and head strong attitude makes him seem unintelligent at times, he is shown to be able to listen and take advice and even use it when needed (even though he doesn't show it at first). He is at first still uncomfortable with the dragons, and he actually banishes them from the island when he belived that they were causing problems too big for his village to handle. He starts out determined to do things the Viking way - handling everything with his bare hands and his fellow vikings. He also is still fairly callous towards Hiccup. Hiccup and Stoick grow closer and closer as the series progresses, and Stoick becomes more and more willing to trust the advice of his son. Stoick's idea of dragons changes dramatically after he trains one of his own. At first he was still willing to order a dragon to be killed just because it was on a rampage. Now that he has trained Thornado (his Thunderdrum), all that has changed. He quickly rushes to Toothless's aid even when the whole village disagrees with him. He is extremely attached to his own dragon. He stands up for the dragons in a new found strength. He has grown to the point of trusting them as much as he trusts his people, and he was willing to risk war with Dagur the Deranged for the sake of the dragons on Berk. This amount of development has greatly enhanced Stoick's role as Hiccup's father, and the two continue to grow closer as the series progresses. It is show that while he is blunt and quick to act, Stoick will almost always take the practical approach in situations despite whatever intense emotions he may feel about it. Despite many years of animosity towards Alvin, he was willing to fight along side him, and eventually forgive him, during Dagur's assault when it was offered. When he meets Valka after 20 years of believing her to be dead, he had no feelings of anger or betrayal that she did not return after all of those years, asking her to return to Berk as his wife again. Fans often like comparing Stoick (and most other vikings on Berk for that matter) to King Fergus and Nicholas St. North, all be it with a more level-headed personality. Powers and Abilities Stoick, like most characters in the How to Train your Dragon Franchise, has many talents and abilities that set him apart. Strength: Stoick's superhuman strength is extremely obvious throughout the entire franchise. Just minutes into the movie, he is seen tossing a large wooden cart at great speeds into the air without any difficulty. He seems to be able to lift most anything. In episode one of Riders of Berk, he lifts a massive fallen pillar in the food storage building and angrily tosses it aside. He is able to hold Thornado by the tail and bring him back to earth in episode seven. In the first episode of the second season, he catches a boulder fired from a catapult and throws it back. Fighting: Stoick is almost certainly the greatest Hooligan warrior. When the Hooligans were at war with the dragons, his skills were unmatched. He easily defeats an angry Monstrous Nightmare using his bare hands. Along with his strength, Stoick does have a little bit of strategic ability as well. He displays this in his tactics against Alvin in episode six. Stoick's weapon of choice in the film is a hammer, and he uses it to devastating effect. In the series he has also been seen wielding a sword which he also seems quite good at. He has defeated large groups of Outcasts, an angry Thunderdrum, and Alvin the Treacherous through out the franchise. The only time so far where he has been bested in a one-on-one was with Toothless in the first movie. Dragon Training: Though he had a slow start up, Stoick has gotten better at dealing with dragons. He and Thornado fly and fight well together. He is also able to calm the angry Hookfang with a calming touch. Leadership: The village usually seems to trust Stoick fully. He terrifies many of the villagers, but they all admire him. The only time the village has disobeyed his orders was during the riot started by Mildew in the episode "When Lightning Strikes ". His chiefing skills are very necessary during the franchise, and he uses them every day. He is called upon to use tact and diplomacy to mediate disputes, manage Berk's resources for future needs, and lends a hand where ever possible, from taking down a fence, to driving off a wild dragon attack on their fishing boats. As a Viking leader, he is a capable and experienced sea captain, and it's been hinted that he is also an experienced fisherman as well. Carving: Stoick has a fondness for whittling ducks out of wood, which is partially shown throughout the series. He finds it to be a calming hobby that he likes to do in the morning. Weapons Like the other Vikings in his village, Stoick has been shown to be well-versed in a multitude of weapons from swords, to clubs and especially hammers (which he says "he would prefer"). This however isn't a necessity as he is shown to be competent in taking down opponents, human or dragon, with his bare hands. Role in the Crossover As Chief of Berk, Stoick's role in the fandom is often relegated to the Isle of Berk and its people, leaving him little wiggle room outside of Berk. Depending on the circumstances, Stoick may hold a fondness, a neutral stance, or an unruly hatred towards the Scottish. This was implied in ''Brave'', when it was mentioned that Vikings were one of the invaders (others being Romans and Northerners) that eventually led to DunBroch's unity. In other cases, Berk would make an alliance with DunBroch, or any other sort of united monarchy, such as Corona, Arendelle or any other kingdom. Relationships Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III Hiccup's father is the chief of the village, making Hiccup himself the next in line to become chief. However, the two seem to be complete opposites of each other: whereas Stoick is large, strong, brawny, and the best Dragon fighter in the village, Hiccup is lanky, weak, brainy, and perhaps (initially, at least) the worst Dragon fighter on the island. Their relationship is strained because of these differences, as Hiccup wants to make his dad proud by conforming to Viking norms and attempting to slay Dragons but ends up making things worse most of the time. Though confused as to what to do about Hiccup's peculiarities as a Viking, Stoick is very protective of his son; he is at first reluctant to send Hiccup to Dragon training for fear that he will be killed. Moreover, during a Dragon raid, it is shown that Stoick, along with everyone else in the village, prefers that Hiccup stay inside and out of harm's way (though this may be because Hiccup is more of a risk to the village than the Dragons are to him). Stoick becomes proud of Hiccup when he hears of Hiccup's success in Dragon training and is elated to finally have something in common with his son, although his attempt at conversation with his awkward son ended in failure. However, after his son's relationship with Toothless is revealed, their small progress with one another is destroyed. Stoick accuses Hiccup of siding with the Dragons and later no longer considers Hiccup to be his son. Their relationship is later mended when Hiccup comes to the rescue of the older Vikings during their confrontation with the Red Death with the help of his classmates and the Dragons used in training, showing his dad his otherwise unseen bravery and leadership. This causes Stoick to apologize for his prejudice against Dragons and say that he is proud to call Hiccup his son. Stoick shows how deeply he cares for Hiccup when he believes that Hiccup is dead and mourns, apologizing for not having listened to him before. He shows great happiness when he learns that Hiccup is still alive thanks to Toothless' efforts. Later, Stoick and the village welcome Hiccup as a hero and Stoick finally accepts his son for who he is. In the TV series, Hiccup is given the responsibility over the dragons. However, partly due to Stoick's emotionally inarticulate nature and moments of unintentional insensitivity, his father's approval and acceptance still proves to be a major source of insecurity in Hiccup's life, and he is shown to go to great lengths to confirm that his father really is proud of him. In Portrait of Hiccup as a Buff Young Man, after being painted stronger than he is, Hiccup sets out on a treasure hunt that Stoick failed to prove himself. Stoick apologized at the end for making his son feel he had to do something big to be accepted. A more accurate picture was placed in the Great Hall to replace the other one. In Thawfest, ''Hiccup was determined to finally beat Snotlout. When he decided to throw the race, he apologized to his father, to himself, in his choice. Though Stoick was still proud of Hiccup in how well he'd done. The two still often have a hard time communicating with each other. In ''How to Pick Your Dragon, Stoick seems to ignore Hiccup's teaching about how Dragons need trust. Gobber told Hiccup that "it's a father's job to listen to his son, without letting on that he's heard a word". Stoick is still very protective of his son. After Hiccup and Toothless were kidnapped by the Outcasts, he banned flying Dragons to try to keep him safe. While Hiccup respected his father, he felt he had to go behind his back in case Alvin attacked. The two later reconciled. In Frozen, Hiccup was very concerned about Stoick being paralyzed by the Speed Stingers. Hiccup is also shown to care for his father. Hiccup was very determined to rescue Stoick from Dagur's clutches when Stoick was taken hostage as a trade for Toothless in Cast Out Part I ''and ''Cast Out Part II. Hiccup was even willing to join forces with Berk's enemy, Alvin The Treacherous, just to save his father. In the second film, their relationship is once again strained. This time Stoick is pressuring him to become chief, but, as he is not ready for such responsibility, Hiccup runs away from Berk. But for all the problems he and his father had, he still loved his father and was deeply saddened with his sudden death and decides to up hold his father's legacy. Jack Frost As a Viking who worships the Nordic pantheon, Stoick would most likely be able to see Jack Frost because of being familiar with the name of Jokul Frosti (Jack Frost's original Scandinavian name). With the respect that comes with being a powerful spirit, Jack's hellion, devil-may-care attitude may provide a modicum of frustration for Stoick who, as chief, is not often told 'no'. Merida DunBroch Merida's warrior spirit and boundless courage would appeal to Stoick and even push her and his son Hiccup into a relationship, feeling that the two would belong together. If under other circumstances, a rocky start would form between the two (mutually) due to a rocky history between the Vikings and Highlanders. Either way, the two would be capable of bonding and are willing to put the greater good over whatever cultural grudges there may be. Rapunzel Corona The relationship between Stoick and Rapunzel is seldom established in the fandom, but Rapunzel's sweet, "un-Viking" like disposition could either annoy or soften Stoick's heart in hard times and provide a connection between Berk and Corona. Comparison To The Books Physical Appearance and Personality Stoick the Vast was married to Valhallarama after he found the Fire Stone for Old Wrinkly (Valhallarama's Dad). They end up having a son and name him Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III. In the books Stoick the Vast is constantly trying to decide right from wrong with his son, because Hiccup is constantly challenging his Viking traditions. Stoick is not the smartest man alive, but he does have good qualities. He can be very loving towards Hiccup which is not like the average Viking. Role in the Books Concept Art (Concept Art sketched and submitted for original film(s) is credited to Nico Marlett, Carlos Grangell, David Soren and Shane Prigmore) '' 322px-Nico_Marlet_37.jpg 360px-Nico_Marlet_34.jpg 406px-Nico_Marlet_33.jpg Carlos_Grangel_03.png Nico_Marlet_36.png 640px-Viking_Leader_Dragon_Concept_Art.jpg httyd-concept-art.jpeg '' Category:How to Train Your Dragon Category:How to Train Your Dragon Characters Category:Protagonists Category:Royalty Category:Dragon Trainers Category:Characters Category:Deceased Category:Sailors Category:Warriors